Regional chambers showing support for Louisiana’s Sugar Belt

BATON ROUGE — To help promote and protect Louisiana’s 22-parish Sugar Belt, chambers of commerce in the region are adopting resolutions calling for a strong national sugar pricing policy.

Jeremy AlfordCapitol Correspondent

BATON ROUGE — To help promote and protect Louisiana’s 22-parish Sugar Belt, chambers of commerce in the region are adopting resolutions calling for a strong national sugar pricing policy. The Sugar Belt, which includes Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, produces more than 2.9 billion pounds of raw sugar on 408,000 acres. Jim Simon, general manager for the Thibodaux-based American Sugar Cane League, said the industry was surprised when the U.S. Chamber of Commerce “turned its back” on farmers and mills by advocating for an end to the national sugar pricing program. “Louisiana’s sugar industry is worth more than $3 billion to the Louisiana economy,” Simon said. “We’ve been producing sugar here for more than 218 years, so it’s very important to the state in general to have a strong American sugar policy.”Referred to as a no-cost policy, the federal program meters imports and establishes prices to protect domestic sugar cane farmers against unfair competition. The renewal of the program is included in the latest versions of the Farm Bill pending before Congress as the year and current term near their conclusions. The Senate has already approved its version, but the House has yet to bring its own to a floor vote.“Sugar is the most heavily subsidized commodity in the world, but the United States’ sugar policy does not pay one penny to any sugar cane or sugar beet farmer in the country,” Simon said. “Our farmers are among the most efficient sugar-cane farmers in the world and would love to compete in a worldwide fair market.”The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce is the latest Louisiana chamber to enter the fray, passing a resolution stating it “supports the continuation of the current U.S. sugar program and encourages Congress to work with Louisiana sugar producers to adopt a strong sugar policy in the 2012 farm bill.”The chambers of Iberia, St. Mary, the River Region, St. Martin, Assumption, Vermilion, Opelousas-St. Landry, Southwest Louisiana, Jeanerette, Breaux Bridge and Bunkie have all done the same. “Our local chambers recognize that the existing national sugar policy as defined in the 2008 farm bill protects American jobs and supports American businesses while ensuring an adequate supply for the U.S. sugar market,” Simon said. “The policy has worked well for many years because it provides a stable market for large-scale sugar users and consumers alike.” Similar resolutions are also pending before the chambers of Pointe Coupee, Houma-Terrebonne, Lafourche, West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension and Acadia, Simon said, and passage is expected soon. Lafourche Chamber of Commerce President Lin Kiger and Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce board Chairman Billy Foster could not be reached for comment. Simon said the support of additional chambers could go a long way in helping deliver a message.“It’s gratifying to know that our Louisiana sugar cane farmers, mills and refineries have the support of the Sugar Belt business community,” Simon said. “It takes courage to go against the national chamber, but in this case it’s the right thing for Louisiana business.”On the other side of the issue is the Coalition for Sugar Reform, a trade group consisting of food, beverage and candy associations, which, among others, has been pushing to eliminate the sugar program. Along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the coalition has attempted to frame the program as a form of social welfare. During congressional hearings this year, the coalition argued that consumers are paying $3.5 billion more annually for food because of the program and it’s stifling manufacturing jobs. In response, Jack Roney, an economist with the American Sugar Alliance, said the price sugar producers receive has fallen 24 percent since summer 2010, yet the price grocery shoppers pay for sugar and food products haven’t fallen as grocers and food companies pocket the savings.He also pointed to a recent Harris Interactive survey, commissioned by the American Sugar Alliance, that found nearly 70 percent of Americans said they’ve seen an increase in retail sugar prices since summer 2010, and 81 percent said the price of food and candy have climbed over that same period.The American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Farmers Union are also urging for the renewal of the sugar policy.As for the American Sugar Cane League, this isn’t its first collaboration with chambers of commerce in Louisiana. In recent months, the league lobbied the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to explore new avenues for protecting farmland from flooding.The league’s board of directors voted unanimously last month to encourage the corps to include in its planning the farmers who have suffered from abnormal field inundation in recent years. It asks the corps to “give serious consideration to farmland when planning protection levees” and other related construction. Under federal law, the corps is charged with investigating, developing and maintaining the nation’s water and related environmental resources. Simon said recent hurricanes have flooded fields not traditionally affected by storm surge.The River Region Chamber of Commerce has also made a similar appeal to the corps, and others could soon follow, supporters said.